Matteo Moretto Transfer Column: Lamine Yamal, Frenkie de Jong and Atletico Madrid summer

Matteo Moretto gives Football España exclusive information on the latest deals dominating the papers in Spain, as revealed in Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing

Atletico Madrid strengthened where they wanted to this summer, but not everyone was their top target

Atletico Madrid spent big this summer, and only in 2019 did they put down more money for signings in their history, with their totals amounting to €185m before counting add-ons. They managed to address all of the key needs they had identified, although not all of their signings were their top choices in those positions.

Perhaps the most high-profile case is that of David Hancko, who was their top target to reinforce the defence. I can say that Hancko was the number one objective, but the economic distance with Feyenoord meant that the negotiations remained blocked until the end. Alternatively, Atletico Madrid also explored other profiles such as Aymeric Laporte who is playing in Saudi Arabia, and Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie. Without going off on a tangent though, the loan deal for Barcelona’s Clement Lenglet was the quickest and simplest solution to cover the centre-back area.

In midfield, Conor Gallagher was their top target, and if that had not been possible, then Valencia’s Javi Guerra would have arrived, as we reported. They were the two alternatives.

Lamine Yamal’s contract situation explained with current deal up in 2026

Lamine Yamal agreed his last contract with an option for two more years. The maximum you can sign for under the age of 18 is for three years, and his current deal ends in 2026, but that option means that Barcelona do still have security over their position with him.

Clearly though, Barcelona want to extend the deal even further into the future, and tie him to the club long-term. He could be the face of their project now and in the coming years, and so they want to ensure that he is completely satisfied both contractually and in terms of his relationship with the club. So that’s where we are at currently.

Frenkie de Jong contract talks with Barcelona still silent

More generally, it is more a time for contract talks than transfers currently, and that is the case at Barcelona. They have reached an agreement with Fermin Lopez to renew his contract for the next five years already. However that deal will not be made official until the club reaches 1:1 spending rule in La Liga, and is back within their salary limit, so other things need to fall into place first.

Also with regard to Pedri and Gavi, talks have already been opened and the parties know for certain that they want to reach an agreement sooner or later. Less certain is Frenkie de Jong’s contract situation. The Dutchman gave an interview saying that he is not even close to earning the €37m this year that has been mentioned in the media, but there is no word on his next contract. He has had a renewal offer from Barcelona on the table for months, in which he would have a lower salary than he does now, although neither is it a low salary – the Dutchman has not yet responded to it.